Lock-nut.



E. F. HUCKENBERRY,

LCK NUT* APPLICATxoN m50 mm2.. 12, 1915,

ERNEST F. HOCKENJBERRY, F SLPPEEY RCK, PENNSYLVANIA.

LGCK-NUT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July itil, lgtl.

Application filed March 12, 1915. i Serial No. 13,896.

To `all whom t may concern Be it known that l, ERNEST F. Hoonnnnnnnr, a citizen of the United States, reslding at Slippery Rook, in the county of Butler and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful improvements in Lock-Nuts, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in means for securing a nut upon a bolt jin such a manner as to prevent the accidental separation thereof.

ln carrying out my invention it is my pur-- pose te providea simple, cheap, and thoroughly effective means wherebya nut may b'ereadily screwed upon a bolt in a homeward direction but which will be retarded and prevented from moving in ,an unscrewdirection the spring will expand so that each ot its coils or convolutions will Contact with the threads of the bolt, thus providing a plurality of engaging members which. will insure the locking of the nut with the bolt.

l/ilith the above and other objertsin view, the improvement residesiu thel construction, combination and arrangement o't' parts set forth in the following si'ieci'iuation and jfalling; within the scope of the appended claim.

ln the drawing there is illustrated a siniple and satisfactory reduction ol the ini- ]'n'ovement to practice. it being undorstoml that the nature of the invention is slu-h as to permit of nuuliieations as to size, proportion, ete., all of which, however, 'fall within the scope oi my Claim. -4

ln the drawing: l `igurr 'l is il. fare View of a lool; nut Constructed in accordance with my invention, and showing the sainearranged upon a bolt, Fig. 2 is a longitudinal 'sectional view approximately on the line ot Fig. l, Fig. il is a transverse sectional view a'pproirimatel y on the line lof Fig. Fig. 4 is' a sectional view, similar' to Fig. 3, but illustrating the arrangemmit oi thel looking element when the nut is `screwed home upon the-bolt, or when an attempt is tion, illustrating the end coil or convolution of the spring locking member engaged by the end or vshoulder of the plug which closes the passage within which the spring is reoeived, Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the plug, Fig. 7 is a sectional View illustrating the employment of a plurality of locking members, Fig., 8 is a sectional view similar to Figs. 3, et and and showing the arrangement of the spring when certain ofthe convolutions thereof are forced against the angular wall 6 of the plug to exert a tension between the threads of the bolt and the said wall to lock the nut upon the bolt. Referring now to the drawing in detail, in which like reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout, the numeral l designates a bolt of any ordinary construction, and 2 a nut, also of any ordinary construction, which is threaded upon the bolt 1. y The nut 2 is provided with a longitudinally extending passage 3 which enters from one of its sides and which is normally closed through the medium'of a` plug 4. The inner end of the plug provides a shoulder or stop member 5, from which the face of the plug is continued angularly, as at 6, and the angular portion is disposed directly below an opening providingr a communication between the passage 3 and the bore of the nut 2. The passage 2l, beyond the terminal ot' the plug l provides for the reception of a locking' element inlthe nature of a helical slning 7. The spring naturally exerts a tension in an outwlrd direction, so that a portion thereof is projected withinithe opening 8 that communicates between the boro of the nut and the passage 3, and as a oonsequenre thethreads of the bolt at all times contact with the end convolutions ot' the spring 7. lll/hen tho nut is rotated upon the bolt in a homeward dirertion the Contact ot' the 1threads thereof with the spring will compress the said spring to permit of tho 'free screwing ot the nut upon the bolt, and it will be apparent that when the nut is srrewed iu such direction no injury to the threads thereof eau be inflicted by the spring. lit will also 'oo apparent that should au atten'lpt be niadr at unsr-,rewing the uut iroln the bolt the irirtioual Contact of the spring with theI threads of the bolt will cause the said spring to expand, as illustrated in llO 1Q lsuch as Wrenches,

zo the plus upon the said spring;

the ybore of 'the nut with the shouldered end 5 of the passage 3 as shown Figs. 4 and 8, and as a consequence ei'eetively prevent the separation of the nut from the bolt While the. contacting engagement of the eonvolutions or coils of the spring member v7 is 'such as to e dental separation l,du-e to vibration or other iapparent that by eetively prevent the aeeicauses., it will be the employment of ioree7 upon the head of the bolt l `and upon the nut, the said members may be separated. It will also be apparent that should the separation inflict an injury upon any of thev coils or eonvolutions oi thespring 15 the same spring Jmay be again empior ed by snnply. reversing the same; that is, stioning the injured endv of the Within ,the pocket provided by 8 therefor. It will be further it effectively sustains the spring within its pocket and provides a closure for the passage 3, so that the spring locking member 7 Will-not be exposed to the elements and injury thereby cannotv by pospring the passage noted that ltl 4will be further noted that should it be desired to remove the spring Without removing the plug l a suitable instrument, such as a pincers or the like, maybe passed longitudinally Within and engage with the end eoil or convolution of the spring and directthe same through the opening 8. rlhe spring 7, before the bolt is screwed through the nut, Will have one of its ends Contact plug' 4, as shown in Fig'. 5 and when the said bolt is screwed upon the nut the spring will be contracted and :forced between the threads of the nut and the inner Wall of the channel or in Fig. 8. When the bolt is rotated in an unscrewing direction,

of the nut from the' bolt,

be inflictedl the threads of the same contactingr with the eom'olutions of the springl will direct the saine upon the angular surface o of the ygilugg il, the first step in this direetion being illustrated in Fig. el. As the nut or bolt is further rotated in an unsrrewing direction, the end. eonvolutions of the spring will be entirely forced upon the angular Wall G above and into Contact with the inner shoulder o ivhiehaetion will spread. the eonvolutions ol' the spring; to bring' the same vinto tight frirtional engagement between the angular wall G of the threads ot' the bolt and lorlii the nut upon the bolt.

Having thus described the invention, what l claim is:

ln a lool; nut, the eonilnnatimi of a holt and a nut therefor. said nut haring a longitudinal passage which eonnnunieates with its bore, a plug closing the open end of the passage, said plug' having its face disposed opposite the opening' between the bore of the nut and the passa ge therein 'formed with an angular surface that terminates in a shoulder, a helical spring,` in the passage normally engaging between the inner wall of the passage and the inner end of the plug, said spring adapted when the nut or bolt is rotated in an unserewing direction fa have certain oi its oonvolutions spread and forced upon the. angular surface of the plug and toward the shoulder of the plug' to frio tionally engage between he said angular wall and the threads o the bolt to look' the nut upon the bolt.

' ln testimmrv whereof l aii'ix my signature in presence of two nf'itnesss.

,ER-MEST F. 'llrC f N'BlillRi'. lVit-nesses Gurn/nu C. YATSON', il.. L W misma.' 

